Pump top display



June 21, 1966 M. T. GREEN 3,256,628

PUMP TOP DISPLAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 30, 1963 INVENTOR. Marum I Green 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30, 1963 30 Maruz'n y en M/ BY FIG. 9 7 i zzys United States Patent Filed Apr. 30, I963, Ser. No. 276,857 7 Claims. (Cl. 40-1241) This invention relates in general to detachably mountable display devices for gas pump housings or the like and more particularly to display devices which may be easily and quickly mounted on gas pump housings of different types and as easily detached therefrom.

The usual gas pump comprises a vertically projecting housing of generally rectangular shape which is both prominent and located in positions of notice. The gas pump housing therefore has utility for advertising purposes, however, the securing of a display device advertising card to the usable top of a pump housing represents a problem. In addition, such display device or adver tisement should be both capable of being quickly and easily mounted or replaced and be adapted for assembly to different types-of housings.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved display device for use on gas pump housings or the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide an economical display device which may easily and simply be assembled to the top of a gas pump housing or disassembled therefrom.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a display device which is adapted interchangeably to be mounted on to gas pump housings having either a generally flat top or a globe on the top wall thereof.

Other obpects and features of this invention will become apparent on examination of the following specifications and claims, together with the drawings; wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective illustration of the display card of the present invention mounted on a generally flat top wall portion of a gas pump housing;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken through the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the top wall of a gas pump housing illustrating the manner in which retaining strips are engaged therewith;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating a corner portion of the display card;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the display card being engaged with the retaining strips;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the display card is engaged with a pump housing having a globe projecting therefrom;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view illustrating the mounting apparatus carried by one side wall of the display card and adjacent end walls;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view illustrating the display card fully engaged with the gas pump globe; and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken through the line 99 in FIGURE 8, and'looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the advertising disc in the form of a display card, commonly called a pump topper, is illustrated generally by the reference character 10. The card is adapted to be mounted above the top wall 12 of a gas pump housing 14. It is further suitably colored and printed for the advertisement of a particular product or facility. With the card mounted above the pump as shown in FIGURE 1, easy access and visibility of the gas pumping and metering apparatus in the pump housing is permitted while still providing a prominent area for advertisment.

To facilitate mounting the display card 10 on the top Patented June 21, 1966 ice wall 12, a pair of parallel retaining strips 18 and 20 are mounted along opposite edges of the wall 12 by means of screws 22 which may be the same screws threaded through the same openings originally provided with the housing for securing the top wall to the pump housing in the original construction. The retaining strips are each provided with a series of rectangular recesses 24 along their outer edge.

The display card 10 is usually formed of a heavy cardboard, fiberboard, plastic, metal, laminates and the like sheet stock, and comprises a pair of side walls 26. Each side wall has a top and bottom horizontal score line 28 and 30 formed along its margins. A bottom flange 32 is formed on each side wall by the score line 30 and a top wall 34 joining the two side walls 26 is formed by the score lines 28.

In addition, the side walls 26 each have a pair of inclined score lines 36 along opposite vertical edges to form end walls 38 on one wall 26 and end walls 40 on the other side wall 26. The end walls 38 are provided with spaced apart male portions 42 and 44 of a snap fastener assembly and the walls 40 are provided with a female portion 46 of a snap fastener assembly and an aperture 48 for the purposes to be explained.

Each bottom flange 32 is provided with a series of spaced apart metal tabs 50 fastened thereto by means of rivets 51. The tabs 50 are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the recesses 24' and are adapted to be aligned there-With when the display card '10 is affixed to the gas pump housing 14, as will hereinafter be explained.

Thus, to assemble the display card 10 to a gas pump housing 14, the screws 22 holding the retain-ing strip are tightened down to secure the strips in position of use. The tabs 50 are slid from the inside beneath the strips 18 and 20 in alignment with the recess 24 as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 5. This is possible since the tabs 50 are thin by comparison with the flange 62 and therefore can be inserted beneath the strips even when tightened down. The flanges 32 are displaced forwardly until the leading edge of the flange comes int-o full engagement with the rearward edge of the strips 18 or 20 for proper alignment. The flanges 32 are thus maintained flat on the top wall 12 and in abutment with the strips. The tabs are simply bent over the upper face of the retaining strips 18v and 20 and through the slots 24. The side edges of the recesses 24 now prevent lateral shifting of the display card 10 while any tendency of the card to lift in the wind is resisted by the abutting edges of the flanges and strips held in position by the tabs 50. The usual spacing of the retaining strips 18 and 20 is such that when the end walls 38 and 40 are rocked towards each other, the male portion 44 of the snap fastener will be aligned with the female portion 46 so that the end walls can be held closed. The spaced male portions 42 and 44 provide a means for increase or decrease of the width of the assembled topper to enable the topper to fit onto various sizes of pump tops. Also the score line 36 extending vertically, between the sections, operates in combination with the fastened side walls to stiffen and reinforce the assembly and thereby to provide a more rigid unit which is not easily damaged by the winds or rain r is provided. The card 10 may, of course, be simply disassembled from pump housing 10 by reversing the bends in the tabs 50 and withdrawing them from beneath the retaining strips 18 and 20 on loosening the screws 22. Another card may then be easily substituted in a manner already explained.

Referring now to FIGURES 6-9, the same display card 10 can be adapted to be assembled to a pump housing 49 having a globe 52 thereon. For this purpose, each flange 32 is provided with a series of spaced apart apertures 53 and 54 and with a pair of spaced apart female portions 56 and 58 of respective snap fastener assemblies. Apertures 60 and 62 with grommet inserts are provided adjacent the lower edge of the respective side walls 26 in alignment with apertures 52 and 54. In addition, male portions 64 and 66 of respective snap fastener assemblies are provided adjacent the lower edges of the respective side Walls in alignment with female portions 56 and 58. The flanges 32 may therefore be rotated inwardly about their respective score lines 30 into abutment with the inner face of the respective side wall and snap fastened in place with the apertures 53 and 54 in alignment with apertures 60 and 62 respectively.

In order to assemble the card to the housing 49, a wire drawstring 68 is inserted through the aligned apertures 53 and 60 and 54 and 62 in each sidewall and flange while the side walls 26 are placed on opposite sides of the globe 52. The drawstring or wire 68 is extended around the neck 70 of the globe 52 and its ends 72 twisted to draw the side walls 26 snugly against the sides of the globe 52. The male portion 44 of the snap fastener assembly on end wall 38 is engaged with female portion 46 to fasten the end walls while the portion 42 is now engaged in the aperture 48.

The foregoing is a description of one embodiment of a display card for use on various types of gas pump housings, the inventive concepts of which are believed to be set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A display card to be mounted on either a gas pump housing having a globe projecting therefrom or a gas pump housing having a pair of spaced apart retaining strips mounted adjacent opposite edges of one wall of said pump housing with each strip having a plurality of recesses along its outer edge, the improvement comprising a unitary cardboard construction having score lines permitting the formation of a top wall having lateral side walls depending therefrom with end walls attached to said side Walls, and including flanges attached along the lower edges of said side walls, a plurality of metal tabs fixed in spaced apart positions on said flanges and adapted to be inserted between respective strips and said housing and then bent over said strips into engagement with the sides of said recesses to prevent lateral movement of said card, while the edges of said flanges abut a respective strip, said flanges and side walls each defining a plurality of spaced apart apertures therein adapted to be aligned when said flanges are rotated into a position parallel to the respective side walls for permitting the insertion of a drawstring whereby said side walls may be held in taut relationship with a globe projecting from said housing and positioned between said side walls.

2. The card claimed in claim 1 in which mating snap fastener portions are provided on each flange and side Wall for fastening said flange to its respective side wall when rotated parallel thereto.

3. A display card to be mounted on either a gas pump housing having a globe projecting therefrom or a gas pump housing having a pair of spaced apart retaining strips mounted adjacent opposite edges of one wall of said pump housing with each strip having a plurality of recesses along its outer edge, the improvement comprising an integrally formed rotatable flange on opposite ends of said card with each flange carrying a plurality of metal tabs thereon for insertion between a respective one of said strips and said one wall and in alignment with said recesses whereby said tabs may be engaged in said recesses to prevent lateral shifting of said card, each flange having a plurality of apertures therein adapted to be aligned with respective other apertures in said card on rotation of said flanges for permitting the insertion of .a drawstring through said apertures to fasten said card about said globe.

4. A card for use in displaying advertising literature on a gas pump housing adapted to have either a globe projecting therefrom or elongate strips mounted along opposite edges thereof with said strips each having spaced apart recesses along the outer edge thereof, the improvement comprising a unitary cardboard construction having score lines permitting the formation of a U-shaped structure having rotatable end walls on the legs of said U and rotatable end flanges depending from said legs, and a plurality of metal tabs connected at spaced apart positions on said flanges and adapted to be inserted between respective strips and said housing and thereafter bent over said strips in engagement with said recesses to prevent lateral movement of said card, said flanges and legs each having a plurality of spaced apart apertures therein adapted to be aligned when said flanges are rotated into a position parallel to a respective leg for permitting the insertion of a drawstring whereby said side walls may be held in tight relationship with a globe on said housing and positioned between said legs.

5. A display card to be mounted on either a gas pump housing having a globe projecting therefrom or a gas pump housing having a pair of spaced apart retaining strips mounted adjacent opposite edges of one wall of said pump housing with each strip having a plurality of recesses along its outer edge, the improvement comprising a unitary cardboard construction having score lines permitting the formation of a top wall having side walls depending therefrom with end walls on said side walls and flanges at the lower edges of said side walls, a pair of retaining strips adapted to be mounted along opposite edges of said housing in either tight or loose relationship therewith and having spaced apart recesses formed along one edge thereof and facing outwardly when said strips are mounted in spaced apart positions on said housing, and a plurality of metal tabs connected at spaced apart positions on said flanges and adapted to be inserted between respective strips and said housing with said flanges between and adjacent said strips, said tabs thereafter bent over said strips and in engagement with the sides of said recesses to prevent lateral movement of said card.

6. The card claimed in claim 5 in which the end walls on opposite side walls have mating portions of respective snap fastener assemblies adapted to be engaged after rotation of said end walls towards each other.

7. A card for use in displaying advertising literature on a gas pump housing, the improvement comprising a unitary cardboard construction having score lines permitting the formation of a top wall having side walls depending therefrom with end walls on said side walls and flanges at the lower edges of said side walls, a pair of retaining strips adapted to be mounted along opposite edges of said housing in either tight or loose relationship therewith and having spaced apart recesses formed along one edge thereof and facing outwardly when said strips are mounted in spaced apart positions on said housing, and a plurality of metal tabs connected at spaced apart positions on said flanges and adapted ot be inserted between respective strips and said housing and thereafter bent over said strips in engagement with the sides of said recesses to prevent lateral movement of said card.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,282 11/1932 OConnor 40-l29 1,989,781 2/ 1935 Zak 40-l29 2,539,098 1/1951 Pettigrow 40303 2,627,683 2/1953 Leander 40-125 X EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner.

WENCESLAO I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DISPLAY CARD TO BE MOUNTED ON EITHER A GAS PUMP HOUSING HAVING A GLOBE PROJECTING THEREFROM OR A GAS PUMP HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED APART RETAINING STRIPS MOUNTED ADJACENT OPPOSITE EDGES OF ONE WALL OF SAID PUMP HOUSING WITH EACH STRIP HAVING A PLURALITY OF RECESSES ALONG ITS OUTER EDGE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A UNITARY CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTION HAVING SCORE LINES PERMITTING THE FORMATION OF A TOP WALL HAVING LATERAL SIDE WALLS DEPENDING THEREFROM WITH END WALLS ATTACHED TO SAID SIDE WALLS, AND INCLUDING FLANGES ATTACHED ALONG THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID WALLS, A PLURALITY OF METAL TABS FIXED IN SPACED APART POSITIONS ON SAID FLANGES AND ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED BETWEEN RESPECTIVE STRIPS AND SAID HOUSING AND THEN BENT OVER SAID STRIPS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDES OF SAID RECESSES TO PREVENT LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CARD, WHILE THE EDGES OF SAID FLANGES ABUT A RESPECTIVE STRIP, SAID FLANGES AND SIDE WALLS EACH DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART APERTURES THEREIN ADAPTED TO BE ALIGNED WHEN SAID FLANGES ARE ROTATED INTO A POSITION PARALLEL TO THE RESPECTIVE SIDE WALLS FOR PERMITTING THE INSERTION OF A DRAWSTRING WHEREBY SAID SIDE WALLS MAY BE HELD IN TAUT RELATIONSHIP WITH A GLOBE PROJECTING FROM SAID HOUSING AND POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS. 